BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE MASTER STORIES - NUMBER THREE

 We're staying in the New Series just a little longer as the Countdown carries on....

THE TWO MASTERS! 

I think it would be near-impossible not to put World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls somewhere on this list. Some might even rank it at Number One. It's a story that almost seems to celebrate the Master. Not just because it features two different incarnations. It also completes the redemption arc we've been seeing Missy going through since she was first introduced in Series Eight. And it sorts out some major continuity issues regarding how the Simm Master escaped his fate during Part Two of The End of Time. 

Itemising those salient points does hammer home the fact that one of the strongest appeals of this story is that it is quite fannish. Like the fight that happens between the Daleks and the Cybermen at the end of Series Two, this is the sort of thing that long-time lovers of the show such as myself have been dying to see for ages. The Master actually becoming good and two different versions of the character encountering each other sounds as much like fan fiction as the two most notorious cyborg races in the history of the show insulting each other at Canary Wharf!

Here's the thing, though: I really thought the season finale of Series Two was not particularly good. That long-awaited confrontation between the Daleks and Cybermen felt very poorly-executed to me. After wanting to see something like this for so long, it was definitely a major letdown. So, just because the show is doing something very fannish doesn't mean we're, necessarily, going to get content that we actually enjoy. 

So, the big question is: Does World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls do the same thing? Does it take yet more fan pipedreams and flush them down the toilet with bad writing? Or does it end up giving us something somewhat magical? Perhaps, even, a bit awe-inspiring? 

The answer should be obvious. Would it be Number Three on this List if it had failed?!   

MORE THAN JUST A FANWANK 

So if I am saying there's more to this story than just its fannish appeal, where else do its strengths lie? Well, if we start with the first part, then we really have to discuss the Redemption of Missy. 

The Missy incarnation has been most unusual right from the start. Not just because we're finally seeing a female version of the villain. But Moff really does some unique things with the character. The huge tease that he gives throughout all of Series Eight is great fun. It leads to a magnificent Reveal in the penultimate episode of the season. It was a great (and also very different) way to bring the Master back into the series after being absent for a while. 

But that final episode of her first season is where we get the first Major Twist in the portrayal. After assembling what appears to be an unstoppable Cyber-Army, Missy does not act the way the Master normally does. She doesn't try to unleash her Latest Sinister Plan upon the Universe. Instead, she hands her forces over to the Doctor. I really love that moment. It telegraphs quite clearly that this villain we've known for so long is going to definitely move in some very different directions.

The concept progresses further at the beginning of Series Nine. Missy is now trying to rescue the Doctor as we watch the opening story with the Daleks. Admittedly, we've seen things like this before. The Master is helping the Doctor at the end of Trial of a Time Lord, for instance. But it's clearly to advance an agenda of his own. Whereas, this time, it seems more like a genuine gesture of friendship. 

And then, of course, we get to Series Ten. Once more, Missy is a major part of the season arc (which is also another unusual thing in itself - the Master usually just appears for one story and then moves on). The mystery of "What's in the box?" and then watching her try to "become good" was immensely engaging. I particularly like how she finally starts crying over all the murders she's committed throughout the years. 

World Enough and Time represents a final emergence of "Good Missy". The Doctor is starting to believe she may have legitimately turned over a new leaf and is putting her to one final test. As his old rival emerges from the TARDIS after it materialises on the colony ship, she does seem like a totally different character. While she is still very saucy and even a bit cruel-sounding, she just might be the heroine the Doctor believes her to be. And it really is quite amazing to see the character moving in such an unusual direction. 

Even as things start to go wrong and Bill is taken down to the engines, Missy seems to still be on the right side. Quite honestly, we don't really hear much from her for a good chunk of the episode. But she does still appear to be present in the story and fighting for good. It's all quite fascinating to watch. 

Of course, while all this is going on with Missy, something else equally intriguing is happening with the Master. 

ANOTHER BIG REVEAL

As I've already mentioned in previous entries, one of the great appeals of a good Master story is how he is inserted into the plot. Oftentimes, he is lurking about in the shadows without us even knowing it. Only to appear at a poignant moment that gets us to gasp in surprise. 

The Roger Delgado days could be a bit weird. Oftentimes, we would just discover he was in the adventure in the middle of an episode.Which did almost seem like a bit of a wasted opportunity. Reveals were so much more effective during the Anthony Ainley Days when they would, mainly, happen at the cliffhanger. 

Moff brings that tradition back at the end of Dark Water and keeps it going, here. But what a wild Reveal it is! Essentially, the Master reveals to herself that he has been pulling the strings all this time. I still think the Reveal in Spyfall - Part One is probably the best one we've ever had. But this one does score well for just being so exceptionally bizarre and fun. 

I know some fans complained about how we see the John Simm Master at the end of the Series Ten Trailer but I actually thought it was clever to do things that way. Yes, the surprise of him being in the season is spoiled. But my curiosity was piqued like crazy by him appearing in the trailer. I was dying to find out how he would figure into the whole storyline. And I certainly did not suspect that he was Razor the whole time. That twist was absolutely brilliant. Mad props to John Simm for playing the role so well that we didn't guess that it was all just a clever disguise. Would it have been better to just have our mind blown at the end of World Enough and Time by not seeing him in the trailer? Maybe. But I think this way worked just as well. Possibly better...

KIND OF ALMOST EXTRANEOUS 

As we move into The Doctor Falls, I have to admit that a very strange thing starts going on with our two incarnations of the evil Renegade Time Lord. When you really think about it, Missy and the Simm Master are not relevant to the main plot, whatsoever. 

The story could have really been just about the origins of the Cybermen. The Doctor and Nardole could easily have just decided to start heading back up the ship to the TARDIS and stopped at the solar farm. Missy and her previous self didn't need to really be involved with getting them to make that move. Once on the solar farm, the only thing the two different incarnations do to help propel the plot is find where the lifts are. Again, something the Doctor could've easily accomplished, himself. The whole inclusion of this story thread does almost seem irrelevant. It doesn't really contribute to the central plot. 

And yet, it's still so good that Moff creates this subplot. The Redemption of Missy, by this point, is so engaging that it can be a storyline onto itself and we're okay with it. It is great seeing her put to the ultimate test. He own past comes back to haunt her and dilute her new-found principles. But, in the end, she makes the right choice. She elects to stand with the Doctor. Only to be shot down before she can truly display her loyalty to him. 

Of course, those final moments between the two incarnations are absolutely awesome. Watching them kill each other off was wickedly cool. It's an excellent ending to the whole redemption arc that also does a great job of sorting out some continuity. Not only do we know how the Simm Master escaped Gallifrey at the conclusion of The End of Time, but we also know how he will transform into Missy. It's some great work on Moff's behalf to bridge the gap between his era and RTD's. But, even if there had been no continuity fix, I still adore this scene. Watching the Master killing him/herself is quite the spectacle. I love it all-the-more for the extra work it did to get the show to make better sense.    

AMBIGUITY 

One of the other aspects of this story that I really relish is the number of "grey areas" Moff leaves us with as it concludes. These are not plot holes or inconsistencies of any sort. They're just little mysteries that he seems to have intentionally created within the structure of the tale. 

The biggest point of ambiguity would be whether or not Missy was actually lying when she claimed she couldn't remember anything that happened between her and her previous incarnation because the timelines were too tangled. There seem to be some strong hints that indicate that she recalls everything. Yet Missy swears her memory is blank on the matter. All this leads us into a furious argument regarding whether or not Missy knew that she would be fired upon by the lazer screwdriver or if the whole thing was a genuine surprise. Which, of course, dovetails into the Great "Where Does the Sacha Dhawan Master Fit in the Timeline?" Debate. 

This is not the only mystery left unanswered, though. Fans have pointed out that moment where Missy shakes the Doctor's hand for the final time. Does she actually let him feel the blade she is concealing up her sleeve? If so, does this effectively convey to him what she plans to do to her previous self? Or is the Doctor just wondering: "Why did Missy let me feel the knife she's hiding?!!" 

To build points of ambiguity into a plot is a great test of an author's ability. You can't leave too much unanswered or it does come across as sloppy writing. You have to create just the right level of exposition so that the important details are covered but there's still room left for speculation. To me, Moff does this magnificently. And it really adds a great extra dimension to the whole tale. You can watch these two episodes over and over and try to find clues that support the various arguments that revolve around them. It's great fun 

Which, in the end, is what has caused this story to rank so highly on this list. There's just so much fun to be had, here. Not just the fannish stuff, either. The whole subplot involving the Master and Missy is really well-constructed. Particularly when you consider that it didn't actually really need to be there at all! 

Number Three complete. Stay tuned for Number Two....